ThNdIzNiR

So far we only have 2 code words to work off for Orlando right? Checkmate and Brains... It definitely makes sense that Checkmate could be a King reference. This seems especially possible considering the 1st part of the It reboot is going to be released in September. If they are using King though, I'd prefer seeing The Shining brought to life. That was one of the few movies that actually gave me the creeps when I was a child. The only issue I see with using it is that one of the scariest/creepiest characters are those 2 little girls that appear throughout the film. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't remember seeing too many child scare actors being used at HHN. As far as BRAINS goes... I'd love it if they brought Return of the Living Dead to HHN as long as TWD got the boot this year. If you get past the goofy parts where the zombies are chanting brains that movie had was kinda scary. I remember thinking as a kid, holy crap zombies that can run and now they can't be killed with head shots. Not only that, if you burn them, the gases released in the air blends in the atmosphere and causes showers that in turn continually reanimate the dead. What a disaster! For anyone who is into the zombie genre and hasn't seen this movie, you really should make an effort to check it out. Even though it's old, it still is better than most of the crap they put out nowadays. Realistically though, they couldn't possibly use a clue that would be that easy to solve. Anyone have any good acronym guesses for BRAINS? So other than American Horror Story probably coming back, no other rumors are floating around? I know it's still early, but I already booked my flight, hotel, and rental car so it would be nice to get some more code names or clues to get me more excited for the upcoming trip.

Anyone have any ideas why they wouldn't be open on Thursday September 28th?

Not sure if Friday the 13th has been brought up in speculation, but for fans of the franchise this is a pisser... http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3423759/exclusive-friday-13th-cursed-production-shut/ No more Friday the 13th later this year.

Yeah... I'm kinda curious about security at the on-site hotels. I'll be staying at the Sapphire Falls and I'm just curious how fast the security/boat travel to Citywalk is going to take (especially in the morning when we do the UTH tour). I definitely don't want to be late because it takes too long. Any input on Sapphire Falls yet?

How will some people survive not having their phone in their hand for all that time?

Not sure why I'd be interested at all in license plates, but if I was, I probably would remember the ones that were interesting like NVME or 415NE1. Yes, those URL's you posted above would be just as simple if they were posted next to something that caught my eye. On top of that, all I would really need to see is halloween and horror with Mary and then I could Google whatever further info I needed later (assuming I'm interested) when I'm not driving. If I lived in Florida near Universal and saw a billboard that says Halloween Horror Nights on it, I think I'd understand what is being advertised. It's not like the event just opened. You think that the billboard in this case is used mostly to advertise to people from out of town or those who have never heard of the event? If so, I disagree. They're advertising to locals. Furthermore, I wouldn't give all the credit to the people in charge of marketing for how popular the event has become. The event is popular because of the quality of the product and the word of mouth marketing from those who have attended. If it wasn't for that I would have never even heard about the event.

It's a billboard that is being used to advertise more towards the locals as a reminder that the event is coming. If you put that billboard in Bangor, ME then I could see your point. Furthermore, you point out how long the URL is... whoa... it's so complex. As long as you can read English, it wouldn't be that difficult to remember. Halloween Horror Nights... yes, much too complicated to remember. Obviously you can't compare Disney marketing materials, which have existed for many decades, to a random billboard. However, having a billboard that is at least memorable each year would be cool instead of just plain unimaginative material. And for the record, I'll be lucky to see any advertisements at all for Horror Nights where I am. I think there may have been a commercial or 2 last year which was a 1st. Considering how large the event has become and how popular Halloween has become in general, you'd think they'd market at least a little in the Boston area on tv, but I've yet to really see that happen.

Price increases happen, it is obviously a part of doing business. However, the amount of the increase over the past 2 years is not a normal amount. They are getting greedy. I hope that for the amount we're paying this year the final product is better than what we've been presented thus far (social media, website, commercial, goofy facade, etc.). They already know they're going to rake in $ regardless of what they do this year due to the event's popularity. Due to this, they better not just half ass stuff just because they can.

Wow... How creative. It must have taken them weeks to come up with that.

"7) Exterior of the parade building is embarrassingly bad " What's wrong with it?

You forgot a fairly ridiculous price increase... I'm still excited to see the actual finished product though.

That commercial looked like something produced in the 80's. Is that really how they advertise on local television? It seems so low budget. I've seen better commercials from small local haunts. I wonder how many people got paid to come up with that masterpiece?

I contacted Universal regarding bringing in prescription meds. I didn't get the person's name because the message was left on my phone's voicemail. The person said that you can bring in your meds as long as you have an id that matches the label and that the label is clearly legible on the bottle. She also said to make sure the bottle is all the same pill, so don't just toss in all the pills for 1 day in a single bottle. I feel a little better now, but to be honest, I still don't have 100% faith in the security following the proper rules. Many times when you put someone in a position of power it goes to their head and they end up abusing it.

Yeah... I know they've occasionally used those side streets, but I think the area could be utilized better. If they load up those areas on the map that would be awesome. I'd be truly impressed if they use Sting Alley again. I don't know why, but I love that alley.

Is the Survive or Die scare zone larger than what is usually put in there?

I've actually seen this done at a few places (usually some type of glowtsick or necklace). I get a kick out of it because most people are basically paying to get scared. For those who already paid the scared fee, they can charge you additionally for you to not get scared while at a place you paid to get scared at... Only in America!

Whenever I read or see these changes in security, this is all that goes through my mind... Coming soon to a Universal near you!

I've been thinking about this zone a bit the past few days. One of the big things a banshee is known for is it's scream/wail. I just hope that they don't have too many female scare actors just screaming at people as they pass through. I've been to places that have done that and it's way more annoying than it is scary. I can tolerate an occasional scream now and then, but hopefully it's not too excessive. Overall, I'd prefer a weeping type banshee myself.

If given the choice between that and "So This Is What Fear Tastes Like", then yeah, I'd prefer the 1 above. Usually we end up buying a few shirts each year. I get whatever one has the houses listed on the back and my wife usually picks one she likes the most. Sometimes we'll buy a third or maybe even a 4th if we like the print. A couple that stand out were the Michael Myers one in 2014 (for me) and the Evil Dead one with the chick in the basement back in 2013 (for my wife).

Hey... I didn't mind 2010 (A New Age of Darkness Begins!) and I actually liked 2011 (The House Always Wins). I guess most of the writing on the front of the shirts from 2012-2015 that had the houses on the back was kinda lame. "So This Is What Fears Tastes Like" has to be one of the worst I've seen. I almost didn't buy that shirt.

Are they already selling HHN merchandise? How do you know they won't make a shirt like the one you have in the pics? Every year I buy a shirt with all the houses on the back.

So they were more or less working on aspects of this experience last year, yet they couldn't have it ready to roll out for the opening weekend of HHN or even the 2nd weekend? How is this possible?

You’ll witness the atrocities that befell many of the unfortunate souls of a roadside Freak Show and encounter Twisty, a maniacal and deformed clown performer. (https://blog.universalorlando.com/featured/hhn-26-american-horror-story/) I hope they do something with Edward Mordrake and his band of dead freaks. That was one of the best parts of the whole season. I'll have to rewatch that season, but I remember being disappointed with how small of a part he played though. I wonder if they'll be using more of an original approach with certain parts of this house. Twisty is a cool character, but I hope they don't put all their focus on just him.

I know you didn't ask me, but I'll respond anyways... I thought that having the stage that close really messed with the aesthetic of the whole area over there. Between the obscene amount of people crammed into that small area (especially at the beginning and ending of the show) and the need to put up railings near the entrance where the stage was, it just seemed like a mess to me. What the heck was the point of those railings anyways other than to get in the way? Honestly, I avoided that scare zone most of the time last year because of how crowded it was. If their goal was to jam as many people possible into an area so filled with smoke that you can't see the person in front of you, they succeeded. Other than the smoke, I don't even remember what was supposed to be in that zone. I may be in the minority, but I could care less about a 2nd show. Just watching Bill & Ted is fine with me. I'd much rather have them turn the area where the stage is into an add on to the scare zone where Evil's Roots was. If possible, even take it a step further and bring the scare zone all the way down to the water. The area where the park benches are is always deserted. Why not fill it with something?